All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

First housing phase of NYC’s net-zero Far Rockaway development moves forward

Credit: FX Collaborative

December 30, 2025

First housing phase of NYC’s net-zero Far Rockaway development moves forward

By Aaron Ginsburg

The development team behind New York City’s first net-zero community in Far Rockaway has secured $278.8 million for its first phase, which will bring 320 new homes to the neighborhood. On Monday, L+M Development Partners, Urbane Development, and other project stakeholders announced the closing of financing for Arverne East Building D, the first phase of housing of the larger revitalization of a 116-acre oceanfront site in Edgemere into a mixed-use community. Upon completion in 2028, the 355,000-square-foot building will deliver 230 affordable rentals and 90 homes designated for ownership.
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Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball will drop twice in 2026

Photos by the Times Square Alliance

December 30, 2025

Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball will drop twice in 2026

By Aaron Ginsburg

In 2026, Times Square’s New Year’s Eve ball will drop twice for the first time, with a second descent glowing in red, white, and blue in honor of America’s 250th birthday. After the traditional midnight countdown, the new "Constellation Ball" will be relit around 12:04 a.m. and then rise above the illuminated "2026" numerals. The celebration will feature 2,000 pounds of red, white, and blue confetti and a pyrotechnic show set to Ray Charles’ rendition of “America the Beautiful." The patriotic ball returns for a second time on the eve of Independence Day, July 3, marking the first time the ball will drop outside of New Year's Eve.
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Events & Things To Do

11 free New Year’s events and activities in NYC

Photo by Kohei Kanno on Flickr

December 29, 2025

11 free New Year’s events and activities in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is arguably the world’s capital of New Year’s Eve celebrations, with over-the-top festivities happening across all five boroughs. But you don't have to break the bank to ring in 2026. Here are some of the best free ways to celebrate the new year in NYC, from dazzling firework displays above Prospect Park to scenic hikes and meditations in lush city parks.
Say goodbye to 2025!

Events & Things To Do

Broadway Junction development with 1,000 affordable units moves ahead after Council approval

All images courtesy of WXY Studio, unless noted otherwise

December 29, 2025

Broadway Junction development with 1,000 affordable units moves ahead after Council approval

By Aaron Ginsburg

A major redevelopment planned for a two-acre site surrounding the Broadway Junction transit hub in East New York advanced this month. The Council approved plans to build Herkimer-Williams, a four-building complex with up to 1,000 affordable homes, retail, community facilities, and open space. Developed by Totem, the mixed-use project has been shaped by nearly three years of public outreach, including over 100 meetings with residents and stakeholders.
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New transit-oriented Cypress Hills project has 200+ affordable units

Credit: Think! Architecture + Design PLLC6

December 24, 2025

New transit-oriented Cypress Hills project has 200+ affordable units

By Aaron Ginsburg

A mixed-use residential project in Cypress Hills, set to deliver more than 200 affordable apartments just steps from the subway, moved ahead this week. On Tuesday, a joint venture of Slate Property Group, Thorobird Companies, and Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services (BACDYS) closed on 570 Eldert Lane, a transit-oriented development that will add 213 homes adjacent to the A train at Grant Avenue. The property will also include 10,000 square feet of community space operated by BACDYS, along with on-site supportive services from the non-profit Urban Pathways.
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Converted former brewery in Murray Hill opens lottery for 28 apartments, from $940/month

Credit: NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 24, 2025

Converted former brewery in Murray Hill opens lottery for 28 apartments, from $940/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A former brewing company headquarters in Murray Hill, later converted into medical offices, has been reimagined once again. Now a residential development, the building at 650 First Avenue opened a housing lottery for 28 mixed-income apartments. The 11-story building first served as the Kips Bay Brewing Company's headquarters more than 120 years ago, and has been transformed by developer Lalezarian Properties into 111 residences, according to CityRealty. New Yorkers earning 40, 80, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $940/month studios to $3,290/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Work to begin on $1.6B life sciences hub in Kips Bay next year

All renderings courtesy of SOM / Miysis

December 23, 2025

Work to begin on $1.6B life sciences hub in Kips Bay next year

By Aaron Ginsburg

Work on a huge new life sciences campus in Kips Bay, aimed at cementing New York City as a national leader in the field, is getting ready to kick off. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced a timeline for construction of the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay at East 25th Street and First Avenue, with deconstruction of the current campus planned for February 2026 and construction of the new campus the following year. The $1.6 billion project will provide modern facilities for 4,500 City University of New York students and create a clear pathway to careers in the life sciences sector. The campus will include an ambulatory care center, a Health + Hospitals training facility, a health sciences high school, and a training center for forensic pathologists.
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New Developments

Starting in 2026, NYC’s rent-stabilized apartments will be easier to find

Credit: Tyler Donaghy on Unsplash

December 23, 2025

Starting in 2026, NYC’s rent-stabilized apartments will be easier to find

By Aaron Ginsburg

Apartment hunters in New York City will have an easier time finding rent-stabilized units next year, as a new city law takes effect on January 1. Passed in June, Intro. 1037, also known as the Rent Transparency Act, requires landlords to more clearly publicize rent-stabilized units in their buildings and explain how prospective tenants can access further information. Sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse, the bill requires that a sign be posted in building common areas and made available in both English and Spanish.
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Mamdani to host inauguration block party on Broadway

(L) Zohran Mamdani, image via WikiCommons; (R) NYC City Hall, image via WikiCommons

December 22, 2025

Mamdani to host inauguration block party on Broadway

By Aaron Ginsburg

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will celebrate his swearing-in on January 1 with New York City's first-ever inauguration block party. The seven-block celebration along Broadway in Lower Manhattan is expected to draw over 40,000 spectators. Mamdani’s public swearing-in takes place at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, alongside a massive block party between Murray and Liberty Streets. About 4,000 tickets will be available for the City Hall ceremony, while 40,000 tickets will allow attendees to watch the ceremony on big screens at the adjacent block party.
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Events & Things To Do

Former Midtown hotel to become 579 affordable apartments

Photos courtesy of Slate Property Group unless otherwise noted.

December 22, 2025

Former Midtown hotel to become 579 affordable apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

A former Midtown hotel is slated to become a permanently affordable housing building with nearly 600 units. On Monday, Slate Property Group and Breaking Ground announced the acquisition of the Stewart Hotel at 371 Seventh Avenue, which will be converted into 579 affordable apartments for low-income households and formerly homeless individuals. The purchase underscores an emerging strategy to address the city’s housing crisis by converting underused hotels into affordable housing, following the opening last week of the city’s first such development at the former JFK Hilton in South Jamaica, Queens.
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Popular Articles

NYC will study feasibility of affordable housing on Wards Island

Aerial view of Randall’s and Wards Islands. Image via WikiCommons

December 19, 2025

NYC will study feasibility of affordable housing on Wards Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

A new City Council bill passed this week will explore the feasibility of creating affordable housing on Wards Island. Sponsored by Council Member Gale Brewer, Intro. 0571 directs the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to publish a study assessing the potential for residential development on the 255-acre island at the northern end of the East River between Manhattan and Queens. Due by July 1, 2027, the study will examine costs, land-use restrictions, and the provision of services and amenities on Wards Island.
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Adams stacks Rent Guidelines Board, jeopardizing Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

Credit: Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photo Office on Flickr

December 19, 2025

Adams stacks Rent Guidelines Board, jeopardizing Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

By Aaron Ginsburg

With just two weeks left in office, Mayor Eric Adams has appointed and reappointed four members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, in an effort to block Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s push for a rent freeze. With these appointments and reappointments, Adams' allies now hold a majority on the nine-member board, which sets rent increases for the city’s one million rent-stabilized apartments.
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Policy

NYC reveals plan for first combination affordable housing and rec center project

Renderings courtesy of the Hudson Mosaic Development Team

December 19, 2025

NYC reveals plan for first combination affordable housing and rec center project

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has selected a development team to build the city's first-ever combination affordable housing and recreation center project. The city announced on Thursday that Camber Property Group, Services for the UnderServed (S:US), and Essence Development will build "Hudson Mosaic," a mixed-use project with 280 affordable homes and a new community center on a vacant city-owned lot at 388 Hudson Street. The selection follows a request for proposals issued in February, which called for the redevelopment of the site’s northern portion, while a new public plaza is planned for the southern end.
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NY’s first hotel-to-affordable housing conversion near JFK Airport is now complete

Credit: Slate Property Group

December 18, 2025

NY’s first hotel-to-affordable housing conversion near JFK Airport is now complete

By Aaron Ginsburg

The transformation of a vacant hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport into affordable housing is complete, marking New York’s first development of its kind. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced the completion of the Baisley Pond Park Residences in South Jamaica, which has turned the former JFK Hilton into 318 affordable and supportive apartments. The $167 million project—the first in the state to repurpose a hotel for affordable housing—features an indoor healing garden, on-site social services, and is fully electric.
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Affordable Housing

NYC’s creative industry at risk amid affordability crisis, report finds

The Rubin Museum in Chelsea closed in 2024. It now operates as a global institution with traveling exhibitions. Photo by David de Armas, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art.

December 18, 2025

NYC’s creative industry at risk amid affordability crisis, report finds

By Aaron Ginsburg

The future of New York City's celebrated creative scene is in jeopardy, as rising living costs make sustaining a career in the industry increasingly unfeasible, a new report says. Released this month by the Center for an Urban Future (CUF), the "Creative New York" report finds that despite the creative sector’s importance to the city’s economy, the number of people working in creative fields has decreased substantially since the pandemic, following decades of growth. Employing more than 326,000 New Yorkers and attracting millions of tourists each year, the city's creative sector is an integral part of its character, but without reform, this trend could drive a large portion of the industry out of the five boroughs, according to the report.
read the report

Policy

Ricky Martin sells Upper East Side apartment for $6.15M

Photos courtesy of Compass

December 17, 2025

Ricky Martin sells Upper East Side apartment for $6.15M

By Aaron Ginsburg

Ricky Martin has sold his Upper East Side apartment for $6.15 million after eight years on and off the market. As first reported by the New York Post, the Latin music icon parted ways with his four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom residence at 170 East End Avenue in Yorkville. Martin purchased the home in 2012 for $5.9 million and first listed it in 2017 for $8.4 million.
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MTA to add spikes and paddles at most NYC subway stations to curb fare evasion

Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

December 17, 2025

MTA to add spikes and paddles at most NYC subway stations to curb fare evasion

By Aaron Ginsburg

Almost every New York City subway turnstile will soon feature protective fins, sleeves, and spikes to prevent fare evasion, the MTA said Monday. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow told the MTA board that the agency plans to spend $7.3 million to install the technology at 129 additional stations by January, adding to the 327 of the city’s 472 subway stations that already have it. According to Crichlow, stations equipped with the technology, designed to make it harder to hop or slip around a turnstile, have seen fare evasion drop by up to 60 percent.
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New Yorkers borrowed these library books the most in 2025

Credit: The New York Public Library

December 16, 2025

New Yorkers borrowed these library books the most in 2025

By Aaron Ginsburg

These are the books New Yorkers couldn't get enough of in 2025. The city's three public library systems—the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library—have released their annual lists of most borrowed books. Across all three systems, "James" by Percival Everett was the most checked out title, followed by "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore and "Onyx Storm" by Rebecca Yarros.
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Events & Things To Do

Construction begins on Lionsgate Newark, NJ’s first purpose-built film production studio

Renderings courtesy of Lionsgate/Great Point Studios

December 16, 2025

Construction begins on Lionsgate Newark, NJ’s first purpose-built film production studio

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction has officially begun on New Jersey’s first purpose-built film and television production studio in Newark. Last week, Lionsgate, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), and the Newark Housing Authority (NHA) marked the start of work on the Lionsgate Newark film studio, a major investment expected to bring hundreds of new jobs to the city’s South Ward. Located on the former Seth Boyden Housing complex, the 12-acre site represents the largest new development in the neighborhood in decades.
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New York board gives gaming licenses to 3 NYC casinos

(L) Metropolitan Park. Credit: SHoP Architects, Field Operations; (M) Bally’s Bronx casino. Credit: Bally’s Bronx; (R) Resorts World NYC. Credit: Resorts World NYC

December 16, 2025

New York board gives gaming licenses to 3 NYC casinos

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City is officially getting three casinos. The State Gaming Commission on Monday awarded licenses for Metropolitan Park across from Citi Field, Resorts World NYC at the Aqueduct Racetrack, and Bally's Bronx casino in Ferry Point Park. The decision marks the culmination of a years-long competition for the downstate licenses.
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Policy

MTA puts 350,000 square feet of air rights in Lower Manhattan up for sale

Credit: Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin on Flickr

December 15, 2025

MTA puts 350,000 square feet of air rights in Lower Manhattan up for sale

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is selling over 300,000 square feet of landmarked air rights in Lower Manhattan. As first reported by The Real Deal, the MTA issued a request for proposals (RFP) on Friday seeking a buyer for up to 350,000 square feet of air rights tied to the Fulton Center and the neighboring Corbin Building. Buyers must acquire the rights either through City Planning Commission certification or a zoning lot merger with an adjacent property.
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Real Estate Trends

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

All photos courtesy of Evan Joseph

December 15, 2025

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

By Aaron Ginsburg

Amy Schumer has sold her Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $11 million, well below its original asking price. City records filed Thursday show the actress and comedian took a $1.25 million loss on the property. Schumer first listed the iconic 19th-century home at 19 Cranberry Street—featured in the 1987 film "Moonstruck"—for $14 million in March, after purchasing the property with her husband, Chris Fischer, for $12.25 million in 2022. In July, the asking price was reduced by $1.25 million.
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See inside Queens’ tallest tower, a 70-story rental with a massive ‘backyard’

Renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios

December 15, 2025

See inside Queens’ tallest tower, a 70-story rental with a massive ‘backyard’

By Aaron Ginsburg

The tallest tower in Queens is getting ready for its first residents. The Orchard is a 70-story rental in Long Island City with 824 apartments and more than 100,000 square feet of amenities, including a massive backyard space with a swimming pool and apple orchard. The building, which topped out last November and launched a housing lottery earlier this month, will officially begin leasing next month, with move-ins expected in February. Ahead of the launch, 6sqft got an exclusive look at The Orchard, from the incredible outdoor space to its sky-high New York City views.
see it here

Whole Foods to open first Queens location in Ridgewood

Streetview of 55-60 Myrtle Avenue © 2024 Google

December 12, 2025

Whole Foods to open first Queens location in Ridgewood

By Aaron Ginsburg

Queens is set to get its first-ever Whole Foods, as the popular grocery chain signed a lease in Ridgewood this week. As first reported by Crain's, the Amazon-owned supermarket on Wednesday signed a 15-year deal for 28,000 square feet inside the former Beaux-Arts bank building at 55-60 Myrtle Avenue. The grocery store will take over a space previously occupied by Rite Aid, which filed for bankruptcy for the second time in May.
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Real Estate Trends

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